deceit

HOCUS-POCUS; NAME OF OR FOR A CONJUROR, BEING THE FIRST WORDS OF A SHAM ----- WATERPROOF/BREATHABLE

According to an article published in Outside magazine March 7, 2012 the above mentioned product is a “billion-dollar” business. Is there any wonder as to why so many textile companies want to get as the writer says ‘A PIECE OF THE PIE”.

The latest company to enter the market place with a product to beat all of the preceding products is Polartec with their “neoshell”. According to their web site and I quote; “Protective fabrics have traditionally sacrificed breathability to prevent exposure to harsh elements. This lack of internal airflow causes sweating and extreme discomfort. Finding an elusive balance between protection and true breathability had yet to exist in a hard shell fabric. (GORETEX, EVENT, OUTDRY, DRY.Q, OMNIDRY, MEMBRAIN, SYMPATEX, AND ALL OTHER MATERIALS THAT SAY THEY DO THE SAME, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO PLARTEC.) The invention of Polartec neoshell revolutionized waterproof breathability capabilities by lowering the internal pressure required for vapor to permeate the sub-micron membrane. This releases moisture more easily and keeps microclimates circulating with cool air faster than protective materials. All italics are mine.

I called Polartec to ask how they were lowering internal pressure but all I received were answering machines for people who had nothing to do with answering my questions, if anyone there could.

HOW IT WORKS

Polartec neoshell is pliable and resilient to allow durable stretch, recovery and abrasion resistance. These enduring characteristics provide greater versatility in the field, but also enhance overall design efficiency and application. Releasing excess heat directly through the fabric membrane reduces the need to manually adjust gear during activity. Shedding entire layers or relying on pit-zips to dump heat often leads to overexposure that can be avoided altogether through enhanced breathability. This allows Polartec neoshell to excel in both inclement weather and calmer conditions.” Wow this is a magical material if I have ever heard of one; or is it hocus-pocus?

They even claim in their on line information that this fabric has and I quote advanced wicking capabilities“! Wicking you may recall is when a liquid moves through a natural fiber fabric that can absorb versus a synthetic that cannot absorb. This fabric is 100 percent synthetic.

The whole water-proof –breathable stuff started in 1976 when a goretex membrane jacket was shown in a catalog of Early Winters. The promise of wearing a winter jacket that let the moisture out and you stayed warm and dry. That was the beginning of the hocus-pocus.

People around the world have been deceived by every company that has put this form of material on the market. I have spoken with countless people who have experience never having seen the perspiration they produced get out of the garment they were wearing regardless of the product name. However, when you are sharing in the proceeds of a one billion dollar market there is substantial monies for advertising and of course a sucker is born every day! The erroneous and misleading information is extensive with each and every company that makes the fabric or garment trying to outdo each other. They have been very successful selling people a bit of hocus-pocus. The elusive balance between breathability and protection is still very much elusive. Actually I do not believe man will ever make an inanimate fabric that will do what these folks dream of.